Climate change and migration are both highly sensitive topics in today’s political landscape. Research into both issues has reshaped our understanding of the relationship between climate change and the movement of people; however policy makers and civil society organisations have yet to build this new insight into their work. On Friday, December 12th, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the UK Climate Change and Migration Coalition (UKCCMC) hosted a breakfast briefing on the links between climate change and human mobility at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue in London, as part of a series of events organised by Oxford University’s Centre on Migration Policy and Society (COMPAS).

Friday’s breakfast briefing provided an opportunity for IOM and UKCCMC to present the latest research and policy developments on the climate change-migration nexus. Speaker Dina Ionesco, Policy Officer at IOM, gave prominence to the potential of migration as a positive adaptation strategy that can be supported by policy action whilst at the same time drawing attention to the capacities needed at this policy level to respond to issue associated with human mobility in the context of climate change.

Alex Randall, Coordinator at UKCCMC, then presented the key advocacy opportunities for migrant and refugee sector organisations in the UK to contribute to the dialogue on mobility and environment. UKCCMC aims to challenge the lack of long-term strategies to support and protect people at risk of displacement linked to environmental change. Their goal is to advocate for people-centred policy responses at national and international level.

Alex Randall remarked, “There is a need for policy in this area to be shaped by civil society groups who work with and understand the needs of people who move, and grasp the nuances and controversies of carrying out advocacy on migration and displacement.”

IOM’s strategy on migration, environment and climate change was shaped through two parallel processes: on the one hand the development of operational activities at a field level in response to migrants’ needs and obligations to address them, and on the other hand work at policy, legal and research levels to conceptualize the complex linkages between migration and climate.

IOM’s priority areas in addressing climate change effects on migration have focused on improving the evidence base to develop targeted policies, and building capacities to cohere policy and practice to speak the same language. Recognizing the key role of civil society in this process, Dina Ionesco noted that “further collaboration is needed to ensure that a wide range of policy options is developed”.

Friday’s briefing was followed by a Q&A in which participants discussed the opportunities and challenges in managing environmental migration at each stage of the migration cycle to minimise forced or unmanaged migration, provide protection to those affected, and to enable migration as an adaptation strategy.

The COMPAS breakfast briefing, a monthly presentation of topical research on migration issues targeting policy makers and other research users, coincided with the close of the 20th Conference of the Parties in which IOM engaged with the UNFCCC, states and partners to bring human mobility onto the climate negotiations agenda. To listen to the podcast of the event, please click here.

To read more about the issue, IOM’s Outlook publication on Migration, Environment and Climate change can be downloaded here.

The number of deaths at sea in 2014 continues to rise and has reached unprecedented levels since 2010. Data collection has become a crucial element to understanding the profiles of those who are most at risk. This was the main topic of discussion on Wednesday, December 3rd at the IOM office in London where Frank Laczko, Head of the IOM Migration Research Division, presented the findings of the report “Fatal Journeys: Tracking lives lost during Migration”.

The document, published by IOM in October 2014, is the first ever research estimating the number of migrant deaths in border areas around the world.

The report aims to contribute to the efforts to reduce fatalities occurring during migration through the collection of data to inform and develop tailored policies to protect potentially vulnerable migrants in border crossings. The presentation was attended by a number of leading organisations working in the Mediterranean region, such as UNHCR and the British Red Cross.

It is estimated that over 4,400 migrants have died around the world in 2014, and over 70% of these have occurred in the Mediterranean Sea. This is 80% higher than the number recorded in 2013 (2,400). Improved and publicly accessible data on migrant deaths is a crucial element to determine the causes, promote accountability and tailor an active response against these continued fatalities.

The lack of reliable sources, missing information and the involvement of smugglers and criminal actors are among the limitations in tracking the deaths of irregular migrants. “By putting a number on deaths, even if it is only an educated estimate, we at least acknowledge the existence of these deaths… a quantified tragedy that must be addressed” stated Laczko.

IOM has captured data on deaths during migration through its Missing Migrants Project and will use its social media networks to engage with migrants that have made the dangerous journeys across sea to build a better picture of the motivations and consequences of such migration routes.

The presentation comes amid growing concerns over a report that there have been at least three fatal migrant shipwrecks since December 5th, where as many as 100 migrants have lost their lives off African coasts near Spain, Italy and Yemen. These figures demonstrate how winter’s approach has not significantly curbed the number of migrants seeking safety, nor altered the lethal nature of many of these voyages.

For more information on the Missing Migrants Project, please click here. The full report on report “Fatal Journeys: Tracking lives lost during Migration” can be downloaded at here.

Migration is one of the key realities of our time. It cuts across communities, influences priorities, and shapes societies.
To realise the benefits of migration for migrants and host communities alike, our responses must be innovative, collaborative and designed beyond the immediate.